


How Desperate

by sssrha



Series: I’m just archiving this, don’t read it [9]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, No Beta, Unrequited Love, a character learns that getting the guy is unnecessary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:01:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27798907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sssrha/pseuds/sssrha
Summary: It was never meant to be and it would probably never happen. She was just one in a hundred girls...but she would always be there for him if he needed it.(Nearly every girl used to like Sasuke. Only one of them ever got him. She is not that one.)
Relationships: Endgame Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, One-sided Uchiha Sasuke/Original Female Character(s)
Series: I’m just archiving this, don’t read it [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2033011
Kudos: 1





	How Desperate

**Author's Note:**

> I. Remember this being so boring. Good luck.

The first time Naomi saw him was at night. It was a moonless night, and lightning flashed on the horizon, announcing the thunderstorm that was to come. She was working at her family's restaurant, the Crystal Field. There was one other person there, a woman by the name of Nihami if she remembered correctly. Naomi's mother was out of town and her father had gone out to get some extra supplies, leaving her alone to run the shop.

"Uh...excuse me, Waitress-san?"

Naomi looked up from the sink where she was washing some spoons. "Yes?"

"Can I have some coffee?" Nihami(?) asked.

Naomi smiled warmly. "Of course. And my name's Naomi." She handed Nihami a cup of coffee.

"Thank you, Naomi-san."

"You're welcome."

That's when the bell at the front door chimed, signaling that somebody had come in. A smile pasted on, she turned to the new arrival and said, "Welcome to the Crystal Field! You can sit anywhere you like and I'll take your order when you're ready!"

"Maa...we're actually going to get take-out, Waitress-san."

Naomi blinked as her mind actually registered who was standing in front of her. There were four of them, three around her age and a man that must have been in his late twenties. All four of them wore a Konoha headband. The man was the one who had spoken.

Composing herself (her father had told her to treat every guest the same, no matter their occupation or their appearance), she said, "Of course! I'll go get you a menu! And please call me Naomi-san."

A small rumble made its way through the room. Naomi paused. "Has the storm already gotten that close? It's not even raining outside..."

One of the three kids laughed sheepishly. "A-Actually, that was my stomach..."

The one with the pink hair sighed. "Naruto, where are your manners?"

"He probably left them outside. We can't have Naruto-kun bringing manners into a restaurant, now can we?" The oldest one said. The blond one, Naruto ("He's dangerous, Naomi-chan, you should stay away from him!"), let out an indignant screech.

Naomi giggled as she got four take-out menus. Why would Father tell me to stay away from him? He seems so harmless!

She then handed each one a menu. First the oldest, who thanked her absentmindedly, next Naruto, who snatched it up with loud exclamations of gratitude, the pink-haired one, who gave her a soft smile, and finally the dark-haired one. It was only as she handed a menu to him that she figured out who he was. Sasuke Uchiha. The Last Uchiha.

Sasuke nodded in acknowledgment but didn't actually meet her eyes. He took the menu and started looking over it. Unconsciously, a light blush made its way onto Naomi's face.

Suddenly, the pink-haired one's eyes snapped over to her. Naomi tensed slightly as the cold green orbs scanned over her, assessing her. Finally, the pink-haired one gained a satisfied look and turned away. Naomi gripped her dress, her hand shaking. She had seen that look before. She herself had given it to countless others who she found threatening her status as best-dressed in this section of the village. That look said, Not a threat.

Naomi once again plastered a smile on her face. "I'll be in the kitchen. Call me whenever you're ready!" She turned and dashed away.

In the kitchen, she paused in front of the freezer. She started shaking. Tears ran down her face but she never made a sound. What had she been thinking? As if she could ever get Sasuke. She may be the best-dressed girl in this section of Konoha, but she had nothing else. She wasn't particularly pretty, she wasn't a shinobi, she wasn't smart, and not even her personality was that great.

How many people had she laughed at someone because they were different? How many people had she bullied in school because they didn't look nice? How many times had she intentionally spit in someone's drink because she didn't like them or someone related to them?

There was no way anyone would ever fall for her, let alone the Sasuke Uchiha.

"Naomi-san? We're ready!"

Naomi hastily wiped her face, splashing cold water on it and drying it. She drank some water and cleared her throat. When she walked out of the kitchen, it was with the same plastic smile on her face. "Sorry that took a while, something weird was going on with the oven. Don't worry, though, it's all fixed!"

The oldest one slightly raised his one visible eyebrow. Naomi's heart sank. He was a ninja, most likely a Jounin, of course he noticed that she was lying. He could probably even tell that she had even been sobbing in the kitchen. To her relief, though, he didn't say a word about it. Their food was ordered, made, paid for, and the four ninjas walked out the door, bags in hand.

Naruto yelled some bright goodbyes, and Naomi's smile became a little more genuine. He was so annoying...but you can't help but smile around him.

"So...Sasuke Uchiha, huh?" a voice said. Naomi turned around, startled. Nihami was still in her seat.

Naomi frowned. "I...don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, pretty much every girl your age in the village is obsessed with him."

"Which is why I'm better off not liking him."

Nihami gave Naomi a small, sad smile. "That may be true, Naomi-san, but you don't have a choice. It's hard to unlike someone when you start to like them. I wish you the best of luck."

With that, Nihami exited the restaurant, her money left on the counter.

* * *

The second time Naomi met Sasuke Uchiha was in the hospital. Sunagakure had invaded the village and Naomi had a large stomach wound from a stray shuriken. After some intensive care and rest, she was able to move around the hospital in a wheelchair. She had accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry!" she said hastily. She looked up and blinked. The man standing above her seemed vaguely familiar. Before she could stop herself, she asked, "Do I know you?"

The man paused, then blinked. "Aren't you Naomi-san from the Crystal Field?"

Naomi's eyes widened as she remembered. "Yes! I remember now! Um, I never did get your name."

"Maa, it's Kakashi."

"Oh, well, hello Kakashi-san. And I'm sorry for bumping into you!"

He waved it off. "Don't worry about it. I would be demoted if I couldn't handle a little bump from a wheelchair."

Nodding, she said, "Of course. I'll leave now, you probably have somewhere to be...wait, aren't you Naruto-san and S-Sasuke-san's teacher?"

The man frowned slightly. "Yes, I am. I'm also the teacher of Sakura Haruno."

So that's her name. "All three of them are very strong, I bet. I heard Naruto-san single-handedly stopped the Kazekage's son, and everyone's always talking about how talented Sasuke-san is." He's the Last Uchiha, so he's obviously talented! The Uchiha were supposed to be amazing! "And Sakura-san...I can tell that she's strong." At the very least, she's very intimidating.

Kakashi smiled. "Thank you." He glanced up. "Uh, I really do have to get going now."

Naomi's eyes widened. "O-Of course! I'm sorry for wasting your time, Kakashi-san!"

"You didn't waste my time. In fact, you're quite fun to talk to."

"Thank you, Kakashi-san! And, uh, bye!"

"Bye."

Later, she would accidentally stumble upon the room where Kakashi-san was. She cautiously glanced through the window. Inside, sitting upright on a hospital bed, was Naruto. Kakashi sat to the side, along with Sakura and Sasuke. Sasuke and Naomi's eyes met. They both snapped away in less than a second, though. Naomi was in a position so that it seemed like she just happened to be passing by, which she had.

Naomi wheeled herself into the closest bathroom. She was in there, alone, staring at a mirror. She half-expected a rotting hand to reach out and drag her into the silvery depths, like in a horror movie, but that never happened. Instead, she sobbed. She sobbed because, in that less than a second that their eyes met, Naomi found herself liking him more and more. Naomi sobbed because she didn't want to love him, but she couldn't help herself. She sobbed because this was her first crush, maybe even her first love, and it was for a boy she would never have.

How pitiful.

How petty.

The doctor that found her panicked, asking her if everything was okay. The woman wasn't Naomi's doctor, but a medical professional nonetheless. All Naomi could do was blubber nonsensically.

How pathetic.

* * *

The third time she saw Sasuke was...weird. It was late at night and her father was on break. Her mother was out of town again and no one else was in the restaurant. It was eerily quiet except for the cheesy elevator music playing from the ceiling.

That was when the bell on the front door chimed.

"Welcome to the Crystal Field! You can sit wherever you like and I'll take your order when you're ready!" It took a lot of effort to keep the large, phony smile on her face as she saw Sasuke Uchiha walk into the restaurant.

"...I'll take take-out."

"Of course! Please wait for a moment while I get the menu."

"I already know what I want. Five orders of tomato onigiri. Could you please be quick, I'm in a hurry." The urgency in his voice clashed greatly with his monotone. Naomi eyed the pack on his back.

"Of course. Are you on a mission?"

"Yes." Sasuke's clipped tone clearly said, Now shut up and do what I asked you to do.

Naomi nodded. She quickly set up his order. "Will that be all?"

"Yes."

"Okay, that'll sixty Ryo. Would you like a receipt?"

"No." Sasuke handed her the money.

"Okay. Here you go. Enjoy the food!"

Sasuke nodded. He turned and walked towards the door.

Before he could leave though, Naomi suddenly said, "Come back again soon!" She immediately clamped her mouth shut. What was I thinking? She kept her smile pasted on her face. Maybe...maybe that would work.

Sasuke turned slightly, a vaguely apologetic look in his eyes. He then exited the restaurant without a word.

Naomi stayed silent. Would he come back? Well, there were a lot of restaurants in this section of Konoha...but that doesn't mean he would completely ignore this place. He obviously liked it if he came a second time.

That's when she saw it. A blur of motion. Pink hair and emerald eyes. Sakura Haruno. She ran down the street faster than Naomi, or even her father, ever could. Of course, she's a shinobi. There was a look in her eyes, though. They were horrified and desperate. She was out of Naomi's field of vision before she could even open her mouth.

Later, she would find out that Sasuke Uchiha had defected from the village. She would be questioned, as she was one of the last people, other than Sakura, to see him before the search party was sent. They would recover his backpack, which he had apparently dropped at some point, and in it was the onigiri from the Crystal Field.

They would tell her that he had come there because it was never really that popular and was usually empty at this time of night (which hurt her pride as a restaurant owner).

What hurt the most, though, was that Sasuke never said goodbye. Why would he? He didn't know her at all, and all she knew about him was what she heard through gossip or the news. She had no business asking for a farewell. However, no matter how hard she told herself that it was ridiculous, she still felt like someone had thrown another shuriken into her stomach.

What was wrong with her? What kind of decent person wanted a tender goodbye from a traitor?

What kind of person loved a traitor?

* * *

The last time Naomi would meet Sasuke Uchiha was very far apart from their third meeting. She was the owner of the restaurant at that point. The world had advanced very far, and sometimes Naomi couldn't help but stare in wonder at the flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. How had things been so different when she was young?

The Crystal Field was much more popular after the Akimichi Clan Head, Chouji Akimichi, posted a good review on it in the newspaper. The restaurant was often very busy, and today especially would be...memorable. Naruto Uzumaki, the Nanadaime Hokage, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Uchiha nee Haruno had made a reservation.

If Naomi was honest, she had somewhat panicked when she read the name Sasuke Uchiha. Then she nearly had a heart attack when she registered that he, along with the Nanadaime Hokage and the most talented medic at the hospital, were eating at her restaurant. She had made sure that everything was perfect, the seats arranged, annoying people ushered out, and chefs ready.

After a bit of consideration (read: a lot of soul-searching), Naomi decided to be the one to serve them.

When they arrived, Naomi gave them a bright smile, bowed to Naruto (who objected very much), and introduced herself. "Hello, my name is Naomi Shinomoto! Since you made a reservation, your table has already been set!" She led them to their table. "Please look over the menu and call me whenever you're ready to order!"

She bowed once again, then turned and walked into the kitchen. One of the chefs looked up. "Are they seated?"

Naomi nodded. "Yep."

"Good. Me, Shiro, and Yakumo are ready for when they order."

"Great. Now, I'm going to go to the bathroom for a second. Can you hold down the fort for me?"

He gave her a strange look. "What if they need to order soon?"

"It'll only be a minute."

"Okay..."

Naomi walked into the bathroom. There was no one else there. Suddenly, she ran into one of the stalls and vomited.

When she was finished, she flushed the toilet. She washed her face and cleaned her mouth. She growled. "Dammit!" she whispered. "Dammit!"

She thought she had gotten over Sasuke. She hadn't seen him in over a decade. She should have been over him by now. Even if she wasn't...there was no chance that she would ever have him. He was married, to Sakura Haruno...Sakura Uchiha. They even had a daughter. She gripped the edge of the sink.

Sakura...Naomi had to admit, she was amazing. She was strong, extremely so, she was an amazing medic, and she had unlocked the Yin Seal. The only other person to do that was Tsunade Senju, granddaughter of the Shodaime Hokage. On top of all of that, she was smart, kind, and beautiful. Everything that Naomi was not.

Smart. Naomi's only option had been taking over her family's business.

Kind. She may not do it anymore, but she had bullied so many kids. Now they were leaders, scientists, CEOs, and she owned a restaurant. A good one, but still a restaurant.

Beautiful. Naomi wasn't ugly, but she was in no way beautiful. Pretty dresses could only get you so far.

...it was never meant to be. Sakura had it all. Naomi chuckled bitterly. Maybe the Universe just wanted a good laugh at her expense. Well, not anymore.

Sasuke Uchiha would never be hers, and she would accept that because that's the mature thing to do. Even if he never said that much to her, she wouldn't care. Even if she had loved him since she had first met him, she wouldn't care. Even if those eyes had no recognition of her in them, she wouldn't care.

Sasuke Uchiha was her first love...but he definitely wasn't her life. She stood up straight, running her fingers through her hair to make herself presentable.

She was done crying over Sasuke.

...and she might have, maybe, possibly spit in Sakura's drink...but hey, a girl need's her revenge.

The End

* * *

Omake:

"She seems familiar," Sasuke muttered as he, Naruto, and Sakura walked out of the Crystal Field.

"Of course she seems familiar, we've met her before," Naruto said.

Sakura and Sasuke blinked. "Really?" they asked in unison.

"Yeah, remember that one time we came to the Crystal Field when we were Genin? It wasn't this big back then, but the food was still great. Did you think I wanted to eat here just because Chouji suggested it?"

"Kind of," Sakura said. "It seems like something you would do."

Sasuke nodded. "Has she been working here that long?"

Naruto sighed in exasperation. "How do you not remember? She even had a crush on you and everything!"

"She did?" Sakura asked.

"Don't act like you don't remember!" Naruto snapped, turning to Sakura. "You even glared at her over it!" Sakura stared at him, puzzled. "Oh my god, you really don't remember?"

"Maa, they don't have as great a memory as you, Naruto," another voice broke in. All three glanced up, and Naruto's face broke into a large grin.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Hello, Naruto-kun. So, you're discussing Naomi-san?"

"Is that her name?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi nodded.

"I would say that you should befriend her because you might get along, but I don't feel like torturing her. I'm pretty sure she just got over you."

"...oh."

"Oh indeed," Naruto sighed. "Seriously, how were you so oblivious?"

"You can't say anything about me being oblivious, I-didn't-even-notice-my-one-sole-fangirl-even-though-she-was-constantly-stalking-me-san."

"...touche."


End file.
